Summary
Fourth instar larvae of the stick insect,Carausius morosus, kept at 20°C in 16:8 LD, contained about 10 μg/animal of epidermal ommochrome. Surgical removal of the ventral half of each eye caused an increase to 110 μg/animal. A similar response (90 μg/animal) is produced by masking the ventral eye-halves with black varnish. Masking or surgically removing the dorsal half of each eye only caused a slight increase (20 μg/animal).
The effect of total blinding, either by surgical removal of the eyes or optic lobes, or by electro-coagulation of the eyes, was similar to that of total darkness (40–60 μg/animal). The effects of blinding were not enhanced by keeping the insects in total darkness. Eyes that had been destroyed or removed did not regenerate but were replaced by plain cuticle at subsequent moults. Consequently the blinding persisted through the following instars, and the fresh adults contained 300–600 μg/animal as compared to 23 μg in untreated animals.
The results indicate that the effects of illumination on ommochrome pigmentation are mediated entirely through the compound eyes. Removal, destruction or disconnection of eyes or parts of them produced the same response as did lack of light stimulation in the same eyes or parts of eyes when left intact.
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Dedicated to Professor Peter Karlson on the occasion of his 50th birthday
First communication: J. Comp. Physiol.115, 185–193 (1977)
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Bückmann, D. Morphological colour change (2): The effects of total and partial blinding on epidermal ommochrome content in the stick insect,Carausius morosus Br.. J Comp Physiol B 130, 331–336 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00689851
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00689851